you drink too much water before visiting Istana Nurul Iman (Palace of the Light of the Faith), the official residence of the sultan, never fear: the palace has 257 bathrooms. The 200,000-sq-m behemoth boasts 1531 more rooms (that's 1788 in total) and is one of the largest habitations of any sort in the world – more than four times the size of the Palace of Versailles and three times larger than Buckingham Palace.
Designed by Filipino architect Leandro Locsin, the palace – 3km southwest of the centre of town – mixes Malay and Islamic elements with the sweep and oversized grandeur of an airport terminal. Nonetheless, it's relatively attractive from a distance or when illuminated in the evening.
Istana Nurul Iman is open to the public only during the three-day Hari Raya Aidil Fitri festivities at the end of Ramadan. The best way to check it out the other 362 days of the year, is to take a water-taxi cruise or to stop by the riverside pavilion at Taman Persiaran Damuan , a landscaped park 1.2km beyond the palace (when travelling from the city centre).